26 goodreading ı OCTOBER 2008 Everything about books www.goodreadingmagazine.com ONLINE word of mouth This section gives you an entertaining introduction to some of the books available this month, reviewed by famous names and new voices, all of them passionate readers, just like you. Each book has been given a star rating, and RG indicates those books suitable for reading groups. You can write your own reviews of any of the books in this section at www.goodreadingmagazine.com and share your opinions with other gr readers. ★ Disappointing ★★ Worth a read ★★★ A good read ★★★★ Highly recommended ★★★★★ Outstanding RG Recommended for reading groups Her Father’s Daughter John Clanchy Here are five stories about the love between fathers and daughters.The love is powerful but other fundamentals distort good intentions.We long for the tangles and snares to work out.The first story, ‘Her Mother’s Tongue’, has a daughter becoming increasingly exasperated with her ageing, incontinent father. He doesn’t fully appreciate her and she seems to be more her mother’s daughter than his. Towards the end all the layers of meaning are made clearer. ‘A Flight of Memory’ is filled with recollections and misunderstandings. Situations which had been concealed have managed to flaw relationships almost beyond repair. All the men in these stories are kindly, with complex overtones. One is a stepfather who surrenders peace of mind to ease his wife’s potential heartache.The other is a hard-drinking miner whose paternity is in question. The last story is both sad and exhilarating. A daughter must tell her father something important and she doubts he will relish, nor fully comprehend, the news.The father is a decent, salt-of-the-earth farmer and we long for him to be happy and at peace. Each story is beautifully written and is sure to engage anyone, even those who aren’t fathers. ★★★★★ UQP $32.95 Reviewed by Frances Love The Sinkings Amanda Curtin It doesn’t matter what term you use: intersexed, ambiguous gender or even hermaphrodite. There are people in all countries and times born this way; often living as a man or woman while not being either, and frantic to avoid public exposure. West Australian writer Amanda Curtin uses the dilemma that ambiguous gender presents as the basis of this gripping novel, written on three levels. On one level there is the research carried out by Willa, a Perth woman, into the life and violent death of Little Jock at the Sinkings, near Albany, in 1882. She is drawn to the tale of this short, stout man whose headless and dismembered body was first identified as that of a woman. The next level is the story of what colours Willa’s research: her experience of having given birth to a child of ambiguous gender, raised as a daughter, and now ‘lost’. The third story woven through these two is that of Little Jock’s real life in Ireland, then Scotland, and finally as a convict transported to WA. It is a troubling, thought-provoking book on all three levels about a topic rarely explored in general fiction. And while it ends optimistically, ethical and medical questions continued to haunt me for days. ★★★★ RG UWA Press $24.95 Reviewed by Jennifer Somerville Firmin Sam Savage When a book comes across my desk with its corners chewed and a sad, lonesome looking rat reading a book on its cover, then I’m hooked right from the start. Is this rat actually reading this book or is he intending to eat it? Well, it’s both really.You see, Firmin, the runt of a large litter, was born in the basement of Pembroke Books.With twelve siblings all competing for food, Firmin is forced to complement his meagre rations with pages of the books surrounding him. Miraculously he discovers that this unusual diet leads to his ability to read. But literary rats aren’t welcome in the normal rat world, so Firmin tries to start a relationship with Norman, the owner of this ramshackle old bookshop. He seeks solace in the local cinema where he finds the choicest bits of candy bar and popcorn while feasting his eyes on his velvet-skinned Lovelies. But his whole life is about to change as the area is marked for urban redevelopment. As Firmin relates his life story, his beautifully structured sentences within his poetic prose are a pleasure to read. What a rat! This is a unique character reminding us so much of ourselves with our longing to find our special place in the world, and to save those structures around us that bring comfort and stability in our lives. ★★★★ Weidenfeld & Nicolson $27.00 Reviewed by Merle Morcom